As he walked with his father, Billy could hardly contain his excitement. It was here at last. It was Christmastime! He loved the hum of the people in the stores. The electric buzz as registers rang and purchases were made. It all seemed so captivating.
The smell of Christmas treats. The sound of Christmas songs. The feeling of the fuzzy ball on Santa’s hat. It was a cornucopia for the senses.
As his father walked him through the mall, he looked in wonder at all of the store windows. Sales and gifts and free and no payments until 2010! He wasn’t sure what it all meant, but he new it promised more goodies for him and his sister. Well, at least for him.
The mall was a huge cavern of stores and commissaries. It seemed like they had walked for miles, his little feet galloping to keep up with his father.
But finally they arrived. ToyDepot. Heaven on earth for a little kid.
He wanted to run and play. But he knew that his father would only get angry, so he bottled his excitement and waited.
“So, what is the name of the thing you wanted again?” his father asked with a coy smile.
“Da-a-aad!” he answered in perfect whine.
“Oh yeah! Dynobotix. That’s the ticket! But have you been a good little boy this year?” his father asked, playfully.
“Da-a-aad!” he answered again, frowning and growing impatient.
Taking the cue, his father walked into the store looking up at the signs above the gynormous aisles. He quickly made his way through the maze of boxes stacked up to the ceiling.
Until there he stood, face to face with his dream. Dynobotix. “Robot dinosaurs made to save the future.”
His bladder suddenly felt full and warm. But he knew, that would not be good. He wanted to cry out loud, but that would only make his father angry. Happy or sad, loud voices only make a tired parent cringe. He bit his tongue and waited, holding his breath, as his father picked up the large box.
“You sure that this is really what you want?” his father teased.
“Puleeeeez Daddee!” he answered, quickly tiring of his father playing with his emotions
“Okay. Keep your pampers dry, Billy!” his father answered, cringing.
It all seemed like a dream. The walk from the aisle to the register seemed like hours. Billy’s eyes never leaving the glorious box. The 15 minutes in line stretched his young mind to the edge of sanity.
And then. It was done. With the swipe of plastic, the flash on a screen and the rip of a receipt. It was his. He would be, Dynobotix!
As they walked out into the mall. Billy felt like a king. He would be, Dynobotix. The words rang through his head like a church bell on Sunday. He would be, Dynobotix.
He hardly noticed anything on the way out. He wanted to hug his father. He wanted to jump and shout and tear open the box right here, right now. But he knew that he had to wait. One false move and he could destroy everything that he had worked for, up ‘til now.
All of the sharing, playing with his sister and even cleaning up her stuff had paid off. He had eaten green things, nasty green things. He had pretended to sleep, even when the boogieman was lying right beside him. He had made sacrifices and now was the payoff.
Daddy had delivered. And he, he would be Dynobotix.
But then, in a single moment, his eyes fell upon her. They say that love knows no age or time or boundary. It knows only love. He was only a 6 year old boy, but his heart burned with something that was timeless.
He froze, pulling on his father’s arm, like a lead weight.
“Billy, what the…” his father’s eyes followed those of his son.
He saw the little girl staring with the biggest eyes he had ever seen. He also saw the woman, standing in filth, holding her daughter’s hand and watching as the people walked by.
“C’mon Billy. We need to go now.” He said, growing impatient. “Bil-leee. Let’s go. NOW!”
But Billy was lost. He felt warm, like in a bath, but this was all over. It was radiating from inside of him. He felt like a million toys. He felt…he didn’t know what he felt, but it was better than anything he had ever felt before. Better than chocolate, better than toys, better than Dexter, his puppy back home.
“Dad,” he whispered, “I don’t want it anymore.” For the first time, he had felt something for someone else. Not just love, but something more.
Angrily, his father dragged his away in silence. He never saw that little girl again. He never knew her name or where she was from. But every year, after that, he had given away one of his presents to the church. And every night, for the rest of his life, he would see those eyes and wonder.
Years later when he met the woman that he would marry, he still dreamed of a young girl, now grown into a woman, and the love that had been meant to be. Even upon his death, the last thing he felt was the warm kiss and the sight of two eyes that awoke his heart like no other.
